by Tracy Krauss
"You’re kidding, right?" John said with half a grin.
"No. We found evidence of massive sedimentation that corroborates that theory. It cemented off the burial tombs and created almost a vacuum-sealed environment to preserve the artefacts within. That, and the advanced technology used to bury the king himself, preserved the specimens - both man and reptile. And remember that antechamber and the plaster chip I sent you for analysis?"
"Mmhm."
"Very advanced technology. The Bible speaks about just such a time before the flood -"
"Whoa! Wait a minute.” John held up a hand in a stop motion. "So we’ve suddenly made this quantum leap to the Bible?"
"I told you it was just a theory," Mark defended. "Anthony and I have both been doing some research and it is a plausible explanation."
"Okay, okay. Back up here for a minute. Let’s just leave the religion out of it and get back to the site itself. So you found all this evidence of dinosaurs and man and an advanced civilization, but you still haven’t told me how this ties in with why you got shut down and arrested."
"The theory goes that there is this international conspiracy to discredit all finds that could possibly back up the creationist model. The first I heard of it was from Rocco, but I’ve been doing my homework, and it appears to be true. There’s all kinds of unpublished, slanderized evidence out there that is just not making it into scientific journals, while at the same time people are bending over backwards to make the evolutionary model fit the evidence."
"Rocco…” John furrowed his brow. “Rocco Cortez?"
Mark nodded.
"I remember hearing something about that guy from another dig I was doing some lab work for. From all accounts, most people thought the guy was a bit nuts."
"Exactly my point," Mark responded. "Nobody wanted to believe him. He’s dead, by the way," he added quietly.
John looked over at Mark in surprise.
Mark nodded. "The day I got arrested and taken off site - at gun point, I might add - we had the casket all crated and ready for transport. It was sitting on the flatbed waiting for the transport helicopter when all of a sudden the government official stepped off the chopper. Rocco high jacked the truck and the chopper took off in pursuit, with me on board. I saw it happen, John. These guys mean business. They shot him down and the truck went flying off the road into a steep ravine, casket and all. There’s no way Rocco could have survived that crash, and I doubt that they’ll be able to recover the casket either." Mark paused for a moment in reflection. Rocco had been his friend, despite what John - or Sangeruka - said about him.
John shook his head. "So you think this conspiracy is so deep that they’d resort to killing for it?"
"Maybe.” Mark shrugged. "Look, there was lots of other stuff going on at the site as well, before that. Stuff going missing, cave-ins, deletions on the computers, analysis getting lost in the mail. You name it, it happened. It was just too much to be a coincidence."
"You know what it’s like working in these backwoods locations,” John said.
"I know. But this was way above and beyond that."
"And that’s why they arrested you?" John asked.
"They tried to make it sound like they were shutting down the site for safety reasons, but my arrest was completely bogus. Mr. Sangeruka, one of the president’s advisors and a member of the government assembly, apparently had his own agenda for scaring me off the job."
"And that was?" John asked.
"He says that tampering with the dead is taboo in his culture.” Mark let out a small scoffing huff.
"Maybe it is.”
"Sangeruka doesn’t strike me as a man who cares much for culture if it doesn’t benefit him personally. I think there’s more to it than that."
"Your conspiracy theory," John stated.
"He warned me not to publish my findings. Not to pursue it in any way, in fact. If I didn’t agree, they were going to slam me in jail indefinitely - not a fun prospect, I can tell you. He also warned me that if I did try to make any of the discoveries public he would see to it that my entire career and credibility would be ruined. He even threatened me personally, as well as the crew. It’s why I’m a bit concerned that I haven’t heard from any of them yet, and also why I haven’t mentioned any of this to you earlier. I need to make sure everyone is safe before I can go ahead and publish my findings."
"What kind of threats?" John asked.
"The worst kind," Mark answered simply. "I don’t think Sangeruka’s arm is really as long as he tries to make out, though. At least I hope not. However, if he is involved in some kind of international conspiracy, I could be wrong."
"And you think he might be?"
"It seems to me he was going to awfully great lengths if it was just a matter of preserving cultural taboos. I mean, I hope that’s all it is, because then I think we’re pretty safe in pursuing this thing. But if it’s something bigger…” He trailed off.
"Looks like you may have dug yourself a pretty deep hole this time, my friend," John said.
◇ ◇ ◇
Two days later Mark was back at his usual station, analyzing more samples when John breezed into the lab.
"Look what the cat dragged in," John called.
Mark looked up and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw who accompanied John.
"Laura, Anthony!" Mark stood and grabbed Anthony, slapping him soundly on the back a few times.
"Got something for you," Anthony whispered before Mark let him go.
Mark’s eyebrows shot up in question, but Anthony shook his head, almost imperceptibly.
Okay, whatever it was, it would have to wait for later. He turned to Laura. Their embrace was more like a gentle, lingering squeeze. "But you didn’t call. You didn’t even email me!"
"Sorry about that," Laura apologized, pulling back from Mark’s arms. "I was having some trouble sending messages while on site. They kept coming back to me." She looked down sheepishly.
"We knew you’d love the surprise," Anthony added with a wink.
"I’m just glad to see that you’re safe.” Mark gestured for the group to find a seat somewhere. "So, tell me everything."
"You first," Laura countered. "Believe me, we were worried sick for quite a few days until we actually got back to Harare ourselves. Then we were told you had already flown back to the States."
Mark shook his head. "It wasn’t good." He looked over at his colleagues, calculating just how much he should tell them. "The casket got destroyed," he informed bluntly.
A look of utter shock crossed both Anthony’s and Laura’s faces. "How?" Anthony asked.
"The truck went over the side of the mountain," Mark replied.
"And Rocco?" Laura asked sharply.
"Dead."
Anthony let out a gasp. "Oh God."
"Sangeruka said everything was looked after," Laura said quietly. "He never mentioned this. "
"Figures," Mark said under his breath.
"I don’t understand.” Laura frowned.
"So what happened?" Anthony asked. "We thought you were under arrest. Then, when we got to Harare, Sangeruka said it was all a mistake and that you had left the country already."
"Is that all he said?" Mark asked.
"He had a little chat with most of the crew members. Individually," Anthony replied.
Laura’s eyes flickered momentarily toward John before squarely focusing on Mark. "Maybe we should talk about it later," she said.
"I can leave you folks alone, if you’d like," John offered, rising from the stool that he was occupying.
"It’s okay," Mark said, gesturing for John to take his seat. "I’ve already filled John in on everything, as far as I know it, anyway. He’s been helping me with this thing all along. He deserves to know the truth." Laura frowned, looking uncomfortable. Mark persisted. "Did he threaten either of you?"
"He made some insinuations about my future employment opportunities, so to speak," Anthony said with a laugh. "But I w
asn’t too worried. Everyone pretty much thinks I’m a screw ball, anyway."
"Laura?" Mark directed at her.
"Um, the same as Anthony, I guess," she said lightly. "Let’s get to what happened to you."
"Not yet.” Mark shook his head decisively. "I need to know what else happened at the site."
"Well, we started packing up the minute you took off," Anthony explained. "But I think it took a lot longer than they were expecting. Obviously they didn’t realize the extent of the equipment and artefacts we had to deal with yet, not to mention the dig site itself. Anyway, a whole battalion of army trucks showed up the next day. They were actually pretty friendly. Helpful even. Wouldn’t you say, Laura?" He looked over at her for confirmation. "Anyway, the guy in charge, I forget his name, seemed genuinely interested in preserving what was already discovered, so I wasn’t as worried as I had been about leaving things in their hands. Unfortunately, there was no more shipping of the rest of the artefacts. They are now the sole property of the ‘people’. It took quite awhile to pack up all the equipment, though, as well as finish cataloguing what was there. They took copies of our records, so the government will be expecting the return of all missing artefacts that are documented as going overseas for analysis."
Mark nodded thoughtfully. "At least that is something. There is enough documentation to prove where each and every artefact was found. Nobody can deny their existence."
"Who would want to do that?" Laura laughed. The sound was stilted; nervous.
Mark scowled, looking at Laura speculatively. "After all we’ve been through, I’m surprised you even have to ask that question."
She turned to John and smiled. "He’s become a bit paranoid over the last few months.”
"With good reason," Anthony piped up.
"Don’t worry. He’s filled me in on his latest theory," John responded with a grin. "A bit too much time in the African sun, I’d say."
"Exactly.” Laura nodded.
"Although," John continued, "In the good Doctor’s defence, the lab results are pretty darn intriguing."
"I can hardly wait to see what’s come out of that.” Anthony rubbed his hands together.
"Um, guys," Laura said hesitantly, looking from John to Anthony. "Do you think Mark and I could spend just a couple of minutes together? Privately?"
John glanced over at Mark, brows raised in question. "Oh, right. I forgot that you two were an item now.”
Mark scowled. Anthony rose from his seat. "Come on, John. You can show me some of those lab results."
John led the way from the room and shut the door behind them with a click. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Laura spoke up. "Mark, what really happened after you got taken away in that helicopter? I know there’s more to it. I can always tell when you’re hiding something."
Mark surveyed her for a second or two. "Same here. I don’t think you’ve been completely forthright about your conversation with Sangeruka, either."
Laura sighed. "He said you had decided there was nothing worth pursuing at the site. That you had just taken off for the States and left it all behind because you didn’t want to ruin your reputation. I knew it wasn’t the truth. I know you better than that and it just didn’t sound like you. What really happened?"
“He threatened me if I told the truth,” Mark said simply.
“Truth as in…?” she trailed doff.
“You know exactly what I mean, Laura. Why do you insist on denying the facts when they’re staring you right in the face?"
"I’m not denying the facts," Laura defended. "You know as well as I do that there is a plausible - and scientific - explanation for everything we’ve discovered."
"So how do you explain the shut down? Sangeruka? The army?"
"Obviously there’s something going on, but I don’t see that the two are related. Shutting the site down because of some kind of plot to stop the advancement of creationists - well, it sounds as lunatic as it is."
"Now I’m a lunatic."
"I didn’t say that." Laura stopped for a moment, watching Mark as a muscle moved rhythmically in his jaw. "Mark, come on. You’re entirely too tense. You’re paranoid."
"Who wouldn’t be after what I’ve been through?" he countered.
"Exactly. Which brings me back to my original question," Laura said more gently. "Just what did happen?"
"Let’s see," Mark began cryptically. "After I witnessed Sangeruka kill Rocco in cold blood, and completely destroy the most valuable archaeological find of the century, I endured a night in a dark prison cell with no food or water. Then I was interrogated, threatened, beaten up, and finally blindfolded, handcuffed and transported to Pretoria, where I was dumped and left to fend for myself. Let’s see. Did I miss anything?"
"Oh Mark, I’m so sorry! They beat you and threatened you and then let you go? But Sangeruka said -"
"Sangeruka is a lying S.O.B,” Mark interrupted. "He can’t be trusted. I have no idea if it was him who arranged for my release and if so, if it was done just to solidify his threats. Or it could be somebody else working against him for who knows what purpose. All I know is, this is no game, Laura. We’re dealing with something bigger than any of us thought. And for some reason, they don’t want us to share the information."
"What kind of threats did he make?" Laura asked.
"Against me, my family, the crew," Mark listed. "He said not to publish the findings from the dig or else."
"Or else what?"
"What do you think? After what he did to Rocco, I don’t think he meant a slap on the wrist."
"Did he really - kill Rocco? You said before Rocco’s truck went off the cliff."
"After Sangeruka purposely blew all four tires."
"Oh," she said softly.
"And what exactly did he say to you?" Mark demanded. "You never did say."
"Nothing quite so lethal," Laura offered.
"Meaning?"
"He said he’d ruin you. All of us. Our reputations, I mean."
"Bastard," Mark breathed. "Who does he think he is? The public has a right to know."
"What? You’re not thinking of doing it, are you? Going public with this?"
"What do you propose I do?" Mark asked. "Lie? Make something up? People know I’ve been working on that dig for quite some time. Not just the actual fieldwork, but I’ve got a couple of years of research into it as well. Now all of a sudden, I’m not interested anymore?"
"It’s not worth that much. This is your entire life’s work we’re talking about. Not to mention the rest of us. Have you thought about that?"
“When we start bowing to terrorists like Sangeruka we’re really in trouble."
"You used to be so solid. Logical. Now you’re ready to throw away your career -"
"What about the evidence," Mark cut in. "Huh? You can’t deny what we all saw."
"The evidence was very sketchy. Almost like it had been contaminated; tampered with. And with all the mishaps on site it’s probably best just to shut down quietly and say it wasn’t worth the effort," Laura said reasonably.
"Why, Laura? Why so reluctant to face the facts?"
"Facts? The fact is we’re in possible danger, here, Mark. Not to mention the fact that we could all become the laughing stock of the scientific community."
"So we’re back to that."
Laura sighed heavily. "Mark, I care about you. I know we haven’t been getting along that well lately, but once this is behind us things will go back to the way they should be."
"And how’s that?"
"You know. Us. Together."
"I don’t think I want any ‘us together’ if it means lying about what we’ve found." He rubbed hand over his hair.
"I didn’t say lie."
"Oh right, you just said pretend it didn’t happen. In my books that’s a lie. I know what I saw, Laura."
"Your seeing and other people believing are two different things. You need evidence. And what kind of credible evidence do you have lef
t to back it up, huh? Think about it Mark. Sangeruka’s already been busy tampering with the documentation. You can bet on that. And all the documentation, and all the records mean nothing without the specimens themselves."
"I’ve still got specimens," Mark said irritably.
"Fine. We have a few bones and other samples here, but nothing compared to what was left behind. And the most important piece of evidence is destroyed."
"I’ve got some other evidence tucked away in a safe place. Remember I told you I was taking precautions."
She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. "You’re just not getting it, are you?" she breathed.
"I’m not going to roll over and play dead, Laura," he stated firmly. "You know me better than that."
"No?" she asked. "Maybe you won’t be playing." She looked at him with candour. "Okay, Mark. Listen. I wasn’t completely truthful just a few minutes ago. He threatened me, too. He said it was up to me to make sure you didn’t publish any of your work from the temple site. If you did, he said he’d kill you. And if I told anyone else about it, he’d kill them, too."
Mark let out a gust of breath. “I… I just don’t know what to do.”
"Don’t you?" Laura asked.
"I can’t just back down. Surely you must understand -"
There was a light rapping on the closed door and John stuck his head in. "Excuse me, you two, but I forgot something in here. Anthony’s waiting out in the hall. I’ve got another appointment I need to make." He slipped inside and headed to one of the cupboards.
"It’s okay," Mark said. "We were through anyway."
"This conversation is by no means over," Laura said under her breath as John left the room.
Anthony peered around the doorframe. "Safe to come in?" he asked.
"Of course," Mark replied with a slight edge to his voice. "What did you think we were doing in here?"
Anthony raised his hands in a sign of surrender. "Hey, that’s not up to me to speculate."
Laura rolled her eyes.
Anthony continued. "Laura, you’ll want to take a look at some of the stuff John’s been working on. I think even you will be impressed."